Yesterday I came to visit my mom and spend the night! We also went out for an early celebration of my birthday when Christopher picked me up. I had a wonderful time and my mom spoiled me so much that I really left feeling much better than when I got there! 😊

As soon as I got there Mom gave me a snack and I began to munch and work on the next warm-up for Nazz. 👀 I had Grogu for company on this trip.

Grogu investigates the snack…

My mom made me a huge childhood treat for dinner –cheesy polenta! It’s the best.

As ever, Sweeney alternated between a desire to play and a desire to kill me. He draws blood on every visit, but he really wants to play (until he doesn’t) and he really wants to be pet (until he doesn’t.) And it’s hard to know which is which. Ever since I moved away he’s always a bit pissy to see me, I think because he misses me. But he ends up curled up next to me by the end.

At one point as I was chasing him he put his front paws in my flip-flops, one in each. It was the cutest thing and I can’t believe he stayed like that long enough for a photo!

I ate waaay too much but my first day with Mom was lovely.

The next day, my mom gave me my birthday present early!! Since I won’t see her for my actual birthday. I knew from the shape what it was. 😁

ITS MY MAN

I’m turning 38. Thanks mom for humoring my immature ass. This was my first husbando ever when I was like 13 lol.

Afterwards, my mom made cheddar biscuits and mate cocido to have while we watched TV:

It was really cozy.

In the evening we went to Banchero! It purported to make true Argentinean pizza. Now, you won’t know this unless you lived and experienced it in Argentina, but Argentinean pizza is just, completely different, with the meltiest cheese, and amazing toppings. It’s the one thing I truly miss from my home country.

For twenty years, we hadn’t been able to find a place that truly replicated our original experience. So my expectations were very high!

Christopher ordered a meat lover’s. My mom and I ordered half morrón and half primavera which has EGG! And a piece of fainá for nostalgia’s sake, and an entire bottle of wine for my mom and I. It was a very expensive meal because these pizzas cost like, $25 each. But they are 100% worth that price. Trust me. At least ours was.

I asked Christopher to hold Grogu for a photo but he was difficult about it… 😠

Eventually I got Grogu to stand, although in her drunkenness, my mom was joining Christopher in his sabotaging efforts by trying to tip poor Grogu over with the pie knife:

Then she wanted to give him an olive as a peace offering:

The pizza really was as I remembered my last from 20 years ago. Met our expectations for sure! It was a big treat from my mom for my birthday… definitely a costly meal… Authentic Argentinian pizza on the beach isn’t cheap. But it was so worth it. I’m really grateful to my mom!

Side note, I love my palm sized Grogu so much, but sometimes he talks if his tummy is accidentally pressed and then someone inevitably goes “what the hell was that” and I can either say “me” or “my Grogu doll that I carry around everywhere”. It’s a lose-lose either way. 🙃